Roosevelt girls basketball coach Enoch Miller announced his resignation to the team on Monday, after leading the Rough Riders to consecutive Class 5A titles during his two seasons at the helm.
Miller cited two primary reasons for his departure: A desire to spend more time with his daughter, a seventh grader whom he coaches in club basketball, and the difficultly of not being a teacher at Roosevelt. Miller teaches health sciences and PE in the district at nearby Milliken Middle School, where he plans on continuing to work.
“(Regis Jesuit boys coach) Ken Shaw told me early in my career… to make sure I was in the building (where I coached),” Miller said. “I just know the impact of having my high school players in my classes, seeing them in the hallway, and just generally being around has on relationship-building. It’s a lot more difficult to build those larger bonds with kids and staff when you are generally only around for practices or team events.”
Miller says he’s leaving Roosevelt on good terms with the school’s administration, and that he’s interested in getting back into high school coaching at some point. But for now, he wants to focus on coaching his daughter.
Under Miller, the Rough Riders established themselves as the standard in Class 5A with an up-tempo, press-heavy style while earning the program’s first two championships. The team was 52-4 over the past two years.
Though Roosevelt is graduating a few key seniors, they return ample firepower next season, including All-Colorado forward Kyla Hollier and dynamic guard Ryanne Bahnsen-Price, a CHSAA first-team Class 5A selection.
“I also have solace that this program is in a great place,” Miller said. “After barely fielding a JV (in 2022-23) we had three full teams this year and return a great team, including the (CHSAA) 5A player of the year (in Hollier) and another player with Division I offers (Bahnsen-Price). This job will attract high level candidates and it should.”
Roosevelt athletic director Chad Walker said “our entire community is a little crushed (by Miller’s departure). He’s done some really good things (in a short time).”
Walker said there were conversations about trying to get Miller as a teacher in the building, but it didn’t work out.
“That was out of (the administration’s) control, because all four of the people in that (PE teacher) position are also head coaches,” Walker said. “That just made it difficult.”
Walker, who is currently interviewing candidates to fill the Roosevelt boys basketball coaching vacancy, said the search for Miller’s replacement will begin shortly.
“I want someone who doesn’t just see that the girls are good, but that they can still teach them to take the next step, and challenge them,” Walker said. “We need somebody who can mold (our returners) to their style, and make another run.”
